Integrity of the Record
Correction and retraction notices are used to keep the scholarly record accurate, transparent and traceable without hiding the history of publication.
Publication Record Integrity
Correction and Retraction Notices
UnivColl Publications maintains transparent procedures for correction notices, retraction notices, expressions of concern, article updates and metadata updates so that readers can understand the current status and history of published scholarly content.
Policy Purpose
Transparent Updates for a Reliable Scholarly Record
Scholarly publishing does not end when an article is published. Errors may be discovered, readers may raise questions, authors may request updates, institutions may provide new information and editors may need to protect the reliability of the literature. This page explains how UnivColl Publications communicates corrections, retractions, expressions of concern and related notices.
The purpose of a notice is not to hide the past. The purpose is to make the present status of the article clear, protect readers from misleading use of unreliable content and preserve an honest publication history for authors, editors, institutions, indexing services and the public.
Editorial Principles
How Notices Should Protect Readers and Authors
Correction and retraction decisions should be evidence-based, proportionate, traceable and clearly communicated. The following principles guide publisher-level action across journals and publication formats.
Clear Public Labelling
Every notice should be clearly labelled as a correction, retraction, expression of concern, addendum, clarification or metadata update.
Linked Article History
Notices should be linked to the original article, and the original article page should link back to the notice wherever technically possible.
Fair Editorial Process
Authors are normally contacted for explanation and evidence before a final notice is issued, except where urgent legal, ethical or safety concerns require immediate action.
Notice Categories
Correction, Expression of Concern, Retraction and Removal Notices
Different publication-record problems require different actions. UnivColl Publications aims to use the least disruptive action that still protects readers and accurately reflects the evidence.
Correction Notice
Use: Used when a published article contains an error that should be publicly corrected but does not invalidate the main findings or overall reliability of the work.
Examples: Author detail correction, metadata error, figure/table label error, funding omission, minor factual error, declaration update, PDF/HTML inconsistency.
Record: The article remains published. A correction notice is added and linked to the article record.
Erratum or Publisher Correction
Use: Used when the error was introduced during production, typesetting, metadata preparation, page layout, DOI display, file conversion or publisher-side processing.
Examples: Incorrect page number, misspelled author name introduced in production, wrong article metadata, missing supplementary file link.
Record: The corrected record should identify the change and retain the publication history.
Corrigendum or Author Correction
Use: Used when authors identify or confirm an error in their own published work and the correction is approved by the editor or publisher.
Examples: Incorrect affiliation, author-supplied figure error, missing acknowledgement, inaccurate methodological detail that requires clarification.
Record: The notice should state what was corrected and whether the conclusions are affected.
Expression of Concern
Use: Used when serious concerns exist but the available evidence is incomplete, an investigation is ongoing or a final editorial decision cannot yet be reached.
Examples: Unresolved data concern, pending institutional investigation, authorship dispute affecting the record, unresolved image or ethics concern.
Record: The article remains accessible, but readers are alerted that concerns are under consideration.
Retraction Notice
Use: Used when the findings, data, authorship, originality, ethical approval or publication process are seriously unreliable or the article should no longer be relied upon as part of the literature.
Examples: Fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, redundant publication, unethical research, major error invalidating conclusions, compromised peer review.
Record: The article normally remains accessible and is clearly marked as retracted. The retraction notice explains the reason.
Removal or Legal Notice
Use: Used only in exceptional circumstances where content cannot remain publicly available due to legal risk, privacy breach, court order, serious harm or unlawful material.
Examples: Defamatory content, protected personal data, copyright breach, legal order, content posing serious public risk.
Record: A bibliographic record or removal statement may remain where lawful and appropriate.
Correct the article when reliability remains intact
A correction is generally suitable where the article remains part of the reliable scholarly record, but a public update is needed for accuracy, clarity, metadata consistency or responsible citation.
- ✓ Incorrect author name, affiliation, ORCID, correspondence detail or contributor information
- ✓ Incorrect article metadata such as title, DOI, volume, issue, page range, publication date or article type
- ✓ Production error in PDF, HTML, table, figure, supplementary file, reference list or citation information
- ✓ Missing or corrected funding statement, acknowledgement, conflict-of-interest statement, ethics approval or data availability statement
- ✓ Factual error, calculation error, figure label error or typographical issue that affects clarity but not the overall reliability of the article
- ✓ Post-publication clarification needed to prevent misunderstanding, miscitation or incorrect interpretation of the published work
Retract when the article should not be relied upon
A retraction is considered when serious error, misconduct, ethical breach or process failure means that the article cannot safely remain part of the reliable scholarly literature.
- ! Clear evidence that findings are unreliable due to major error, fabrication, falsification, image manipulation or invalid analysis
- ! Plagiarism, duplicate publication, redundant publication, salami publication or substantial undisclosed overlap with another published work
- ! Unethical research, lack of required ethical approval, absence of necessary consent or violation of participant protection requirements
- ! Compromised or manipulated peer review, authorship manipulation, undisclosed conflict of interest that materially affects interpretation or editorial decision
- ! Serious breach of copyright, legal requirement, third-party rights or intellectual property affecting the published article
- ! Institutional, editorial or publisher investigation concluding that the published article should not remain part of the reliable scholarly record
Editorial Workflow
How Correction and Retraction Matters Are Handled
The workflow below provides a practical and transparent route for assessing article updates while protecting fairness, confidentiality, editorial independence and the integrity of the publication record.
Concern Received
The journal or publisher receives a correction request, reader concern, author notification, institutional communication, indexing alert or editorial observation related to a published article.
Record Identification
The editorial office identifies the exact article, DOI, journal, volume, issue, PDF, HTML version, supplementary files, metadata and relevant publication history.
Initial Screening
The concern is classified as a minor metadata issue, correction request, scholarly clarification, ethical concern, expression-of-concern case, retraction review or legal matter.
Evidence Review
The editor or publisher reviews the article record, submission files, peer-review history, declarations, similarity reports, author explanations, institutional documents and relevant evidence.
Author and Editorial Response
Authors are normally invited to respond. Editors, reviewers, institutions, ethics committees or research integrity officers may be consulted where appropriate.
Decision and Notice Drafting
The publisher decides whether no action, private correction, public correction, expression of concern, retraction, republication note or removal notice is appropriate.
Publication and Linking
The approved notice is published, linked to the article, and the article page is updated to display the current publication status clearly.
Metadata Update
Where DOI or indexing metadata is used, records should be updated so readers, databases and citation systems can identify the current status of the article.
Notice Content Standard
What a Public Notice Should Include
A correction or retraction notice should be understandable to readers, useful for indexing services and sufficiently specific to explain the status of the article without unnecessary personal language.
Notice Title
The notice title should clearly state the action, such as Correction, Retraction, Expression of Concern, Addendum or Publisher Note.
Original Article Details
The notice should identify the article title, author names, journal title, year, volume, issue, pages, DOI and article URL wherever available.
Reason for Notice
The notice should explain the reason in clear and neutral language without unnecessary personal allegations or defamatory wording.
Responsible Party
Where appropriate, the notice may identify whether the correction is author-initiated, editor-initiated, publisher-initiated or institutionally informed.
Effect on Findings
For corrections, the notice should state whether the change affects the conclusions. For retractions, it should clarify that the article should not be relied upon as a valid record.
Publication Date
The notice should show the date of publication and, where relevant, the date the article record, PDF, HTML or metadata was updated.
Persistent Linking
The notice should link to the original article, and the original article should link to the notice so the publication history remains discoverable.
Version Information
If the PDF or HTML has been updated, the notice should indicate the nature of the change and help readers distinguish the corrected version from the original version.
Article Record Policy
No Silent Replacement. No Hidden Retraction. No Misleading Status.
UnivColl Publications follows a transparent record-maintenance approach. Readers should be able to identify whether a publication is current, corrected, updated, under concern or retracted.
- ✓ Published articles are normally not deleted or silently replaced because removal hides the history of scholarly communication.
- ✓ Retracted articles should remain accessible where lawful, marked clearly as retracted, and linked to a retraction notice.
- ✓ Corrections should be transparent and should not obscure the original reason for change.
- ✓ If a PDF is replaced, the replacement should show that a correction has been made or should be accompanied by a public notice.
- ✓ Article pages should display current status indicators such as Published, Corrected, Updated, Expression of Concern or Retracted.
- ✓ DOI, citation and indexing metadata should be updated when a correction, retraction or significant notice affects the record.
- ✓ Supplementary files, data links and repository records should be corrected or linked to notices where they affect interpretation.
- ✓ Silent correction is limited to very minor website or typographical adjustments that do not affect meaning, metadata, citation, evidence, interpretation or author responsibility.
Author Responsibilities
Authors Must Help Correct the Literature
Authors share responsibility for the accuracy of the published record. Honest correction of errors is part of responsible scholarship and helps protect readers, institutions and the long-term value of research.
Prompt Notification
Authors should promptly inform the journal or publisher if they identify a significant error, omission, ethical issue or unreliable element in their published work.
Evidence and Explanation
Authors should provide a clear explanation, corrected information, supporting files, data records or institutional communication where relevant.
Co-author Communication
The corresponding author should make reasonable efforts to inform all co-authors about correction or retraction discussions.
No Pressure to Hide Errors
Authors should not request silent deletion, undisclosed replacement, manipulation of publication dates or misleading changes to the scholarly record.
Every notice should be discoverable and linked
A notice is useful only when readers can find it. For this reason, article pages, PDFs, metadata, DOI records, sitemaps and structured data should be reviewed when a correction, expression of concern or retraction is published.
- ✓ Article title, DOI, URL, authors, volume, issue, page range and publication status should remain consistent across article page, PDF and indexing metadata.
- ✓ Correction and retraction notices should have their own stable webpage and may have a DOI where the publisher workflow supports DOI registration.
- ✓ Article pages should show links to related notices in visible positions near the article title, metadata block or version-of-record area.
- ✓ PDF files should display clear status markings when an article is corrected, retracted or subject to an expression of concern.
- ✓ Sitemap, schema markup, OpenGraph data and citation metadata should be updated when the canonical publication record changes.
- ✓ Crossmark-style update information may be implemented in the future to help readers verify current article status across HTML and PDF formats.
Sample Notice Structure
Recommended Public Notice Format
Journals managed by UnivColl Publications may adapt the following structure when preparing a public correction, expression of concern or retraction notice.
Notice of [Correction / Retraction / Expression of Concern]
Original article: [Full article title], [Author names], [Journal name], [Volume], [Issue], [Year], [Page range], DOI: [DOI].
Reason for notice: [Clear factual explanation of the error, concern or reason for retraction].
Editorial action: [Correction made / article marked as retracted / concern under investigation / metadata updated].
Effect on findings: [Conclusions unaffected / affected / article should not be relied upon].
Notice date: [Date of notice publication].
Frequently Asked Questions
Correction and Retraction Notices FAQ
These answers explain how UnivColl Publications approaches common questions about article updates, correction notices, retraction decisions and post-publication record maintenance.
Is a correction the same as a retraction?
No. A correction updates or clarifies a published article while keeping it part of the reliable record. A retraction indicates that the article should not be relied upon as a valid scholarly record.
Will a corrected article be removed from the website?
Normally no. The article remains available with a correction notice or visible update so that readers can understand the publication history.
Can authors request a retraction?
Yes. Authors may request a correction or retraction, but the final decision is made through editorial and publisher assessment of the evidence and publication record.
Can a reader request a correction?
Yes. Readers may submit evidence-based concerns about published content. The editorial office will screen the concern and decide whether a formal review is needed.
Does retraction mean punishment?
Retraction is primarily a record-correction mechanism. It alerts readers that the article should not be relied upon because of serious error, misconduct or another major reliability issue.
Can a notice itself be corrected?
Yes. If a correction or retraction notice contains an error, the publisher may update the notice or publish a further clarification while preserving transparency.
Policy Pathway
Related Policies, Author Actions and Trust Pages
This policy is connected with UnivColl Publications' wider publishing ecosystem, including author guidance, editorial independence, publication ethics, metadata readiness and official support routes. Use the related links to move to the next practical step without relying on disconnected or informal information.
Corrections and Retractions
Open related page
Expression of Concern
Open related page
Crossmark and Version of Record
Open related page
Metadata Correction Request
Open related page
Policies and Guidelines
Open related page
Publication Ethics
Open related page
Peer Review Policy
Open related page
Submit Manuscript
Open related page
Transparency and Responsible Publishing
Policy Use Does Not Create Publication or Indexing Guarantees
UnivColl Publications uses policy pages to support transparent communication, fair editorial handling, author awareness and scholarly record integrity. Submission, payment, policy compliance or support communication must not be treated as a promise of acceptance, indexing, citation, ranking or any third-party database outcome.
Publication Ethics
Editorial and publication decisions should remain evidence-based, policy-led and independent.
No Guaranteed Acceptance
Acceptance depends on scope, originality, review suitability, ethical compliance and editorial decision.
Metadata Ready
Published records may be supported with structured metadata, DOI references and correction workflows where applicable.
Documented Support
Queries should include manuscript ID, DOI, transaction reference or policy concern details where available.